Shorts
by FOXGIRL200
Summary: Jess convinces Jo to wear shorts on a hot day...Things don't go as planned...


Disclaimer: I own nothing!

"I wish you'd just wear a pair of shorts; you'll be in the house, it's not like anyone will actually see your legs." Jess knew well of her sister's self consciousness stemming from the accident, but this was ridiculous! It was currently 99 degrees, and _Joanne_ had insistedon wearing sweatpants. Now, Jess wasn't one to try to deter Jo from anything, but there comes a time when a girl has to protect the well being and health of her twin. Even if that meant tearing the sweatpants from said twin's body and dragging them downstairs in their underwear. She would, so help me, she would, and I doubt people want me to describe that. "You are going to burst into flames and disintegrate into a pile of ash before we reach the back door! And believe it or not I like having you around…sometimes." Y'know, when Jo wasn't gluing people to doorknobs, sneaking up on people, eating the last of the leftovers and hiding Jade's coffee. Jess was used to Jo saying and doing crazy things; you read the stories, you know what she means.

"But…"

"Shut it, Anne!"

"Did you just…"Anne" me?" wow, that name was only to be used when Jo was in deep, deep dog doo; the last time someone had "Anne"ed her was in tenth grade. She may have accidentally on purpose kneed a boy in the…downstairs department for calling her 5 out of 10. I mean, seriously, who still does that rating thing? Well, I'll tell you what, Fred Patterson doesn't…anymore. Anyway…Jo hesitantly, reluctantly slid the thick material of her sweats off of her legs, replacing them with the shorts-very short jean shorts that had been purchased on her fourteenth birthday. Hey, it's only been two years; she hasn't gained that much weight. In fact, being in and out of the hospital for all those operations plus the different recovery times had actually caused Jo to lose a few pounds. As a result, she was 5'6'' and 100 pounds, a full ten pounds lighter that Jess.

"See…isn't that better?" Jess gave her sister a once over in the mirror.

"I...guess. Are you sure it'll only be you, Tori and Jade here?" Jo asked.

"Would I lie to you?"

"Yes, you have…repeatedly."

"Have not!" Jess insisted.

"Have too!"

"Not!"

"Too!"

"Name once!" Jess demanded.

"In ninth grade you told me that some bully left a month's old carton of milk in your locker…but it was really you who forgot to take it out after the first day." Jo deadpanned. "There's also that time you told me Tori was moving away to Detroit. You told me that you would help with my history homework because you "passed so hard it should've been illegal" when you really got a C-. You said that we were really adopted and Jade wasn't really our sister." Jo took a deep breath. "There was the time when you told me Jade got us a puppy for Christmas…biggest disappointment of my life! Need I go on, or are you still in denial like the time you denied rearranging my personal library?" Jo stalked out of the room, leaving a bewildered Jess to scurry after her.

"Okay…so my truth record is…spotty."

"HA! Spotty? SPOTTY? Your "truth record" has more spots than all 101 Dalmatians!"

"Does this mean you don't believe me…?"

XXXX

She was not comfortable with this arrangement; her legs were not often on display, and all the sudden exposure was not doing her any good…Even if it was only Jade, Tori and Jess, she felt…ashamed, embarrassed. The TV drowned on in the background, its appeal lost in favor of…wait…wait…APPLE JUICE! Jo guzzled down her fourth glass of the stuff just as Jade and Tori bounded down the stairs; Jade's face was red, though Jo suspected the heat had nothing to do with it. The two flopped onto the couch, exhausted and overheated. Jade ordered Jo to serve some ice tea. (See if you read Hot, you'll understand. "Letting you off easy" means, "You're on probation and are going to be my personal servant for the next month and a half.) Jo had never moved so quickly in her life. Not even the backlash she and Jess faced attempted to give Jade a make-over while they were in seventh grade…key word "attempted." Instead of making Jade "pretty", they made the woman look like a vampire…a very angry vampire. Five weeks down, four days to go.

"It's soooo hot!" Jess complained.

"Really…? I—wow! I just thought there was a dragon outside with a head cold or something!" Jade said.

"Whatever…where's the sunscreen?"

"Say…what?"

"Sun…screen, you know that stuff that looks like the inside of pimples? Where is it?"Jess asked.

"Sun…screen? Jess, I know we're pale and all, but sunscreen is usually for we go _outside_ and I don't think that's going to happen any time soon." Jo flopped onto her backside, wincing at the sharp sting in her butt. 100 pounds people! And very little of that is fat. Jo squirmed around a little; her leg was beginning to ache. She brought both legs in front of her, running her finger over the deep, jagged imprints. It had always been a strange form of sweet torture for Jo-on one hand touching the limb reassured her that it was in fact still there. But it also reinforced the fact that it would never be the same. She was damaged goods…a freak to some people, a horror to others. But she put on her best face and showed the word the Joanne West that used to exist before everything came crashing down; the small piece of her former self that managed to survive hell and find its way home despite the chaos. She put on her best "Jade face" and said, "I mean, unless you want to face the cold dragon dude Jade was talking about…just know it's been a nice sixteen and a half years knowing you."

"Smart as-aleck…!" Jess quickly corrected herself at Tori's disapproving look. Het, Tori had been with Jade for fifteen years; she was bound to pick up something…other than an odd love of all things caffeine. "Hey sunscreen is cold and right now I am desperate."

"Sorry…don't…know."

"Wait a minute…pimples? Where in the he- -heck! Where'd you get that from?" Tori's glare was really working double time today, go figure.

"Well…Kai always says that he hates sunscreen because August once brought up that someone could fill a container with zit juice and no one would be able to tell the difference…" Jess thought about it…and shuddered. You know what, I am so sorry for putting the image in your minds.

The identical looks of disgusted fascination Jess received from her companions were enough to freeze ice. Yeah…I said that.

"My boyfriend…is disgusting."

The only thing the others could do was nod.

"So…sunscreen…?" Jess asked.

"Wait…wait…wait half a minute. You still want to rub yourself with sunscreen all over you with the image of puss filled zits bursting in your mind…?" Tori asked. And then, in a voice as soft and smooth as Jade's hair, she said, "And I thought Jo was the weird one…"

"I HEARD THAT!"

"Well…it's true…"

XXXX

Jade and Tori had gone to sit in the backward. Or at least, Jo thought so; I mean, they said they were going outside…and they weren't upstairs, soooo, Jo wasn't really one for paying attention. Don't let the straight A's fool you; she only paid enough attention to grapes what the teacher was teaching, and then it was off to the world that existed solely in her imagination-Joland.

But now she stood wide eyed and open mouthed…her eyes trained on the smirking Jess, her number one enemy.

"You lied…to…me."

"Well, yeah, they are. I mean, I thought we went over this two hours ago. Remember, Dalmatians and month old milk?" Jess took a long swig of her apple juice. Like I said, the stuff is addictive. Okay…now, to be fair, Jo was being a bit obnoxious…and by that I mean she was being a total pain in the butt. So, naturally, being the resourceful girl she was, Jess let it slip that August was at the door. And of course that led to Jo running-toddling- up the stairs to find something not as…"revealing." Did Jo feel bad? Sort of. Was she going to tell that to Jo? Abso-freaking-lutely not! Jess smirked at Jo, her lips curling into the signature West smirk. Jo growled…GROWLED! You know, junkyard dog after a month with no food type of growl. She lunged- fell into- Jess, pinning the girl on the ground. Jo put one finger in her mouth, making sure it was coated with her saliva and thrust the appendage into Jess' ear. If you're a rational human being, I'm sure you can guess Jess' reaction…If not…maybe next time.

"EWWWWWW! Jo…we already share our DNA, I don't need any more of it! You little…" Jess shivered. She pushed Jo to the side, stood and tried to rub the spit from the soiled ear.

"Serves you right…Liar."

"Why so sore about it…? It was a joke."

"…Because…" Jo shifted, her gaze falling to the floor. "August hast seen my legs since that stupid "Operation Jogust" thing and I just…it feels so awkward to even _think_ of him seeing...this!" Jo gestured to her legs, digging her nails into the deep grooves that covered the limb. The mangled, uneven _disfigurement_ that had plagued her for nearly three years. It was ugly…it was disgusting! That leg was the one thing keeping Jo from being…Jo! She couldn't play like this! She couldn't even walk for more than a block before the pain set in. She wasn't a teenager anymore with that leg; she was a _thing_ a nameless mass of flesh wandering the world in an unrelenting, unending cloud of nothingness. The jokes…the looks…they were a constant reminder. They were the voice in her head. ("You're different from us! You don't belong here!")

"Jo…August likes you, scars or no scars." Jess said.

"I know that…but it doesn't make it any easier…I mean, Jess, I know I'm supposed to be the weirdo, the prankster sister that drives everyone up the wall, but…I'm not that person anymore. The accident…the surgeries, the- -I just don't have it in me anymore. I'm different. And no amount of pretty word, counseling, or "oh, my god, you're so pretty," will ever change that."

"Jo…"

"I'm sorry I made you sad…I'm just…being a baby. Don't listen to me." Jo said.

The doorbell rang and Jess went to answer it.

"Ummm…JoJo, August is here!"

"Jess…I'm not in the mood for jokes right now…some other time, maybe."

"Hey, joker! I- -are you…wearing shorts?"

She couldn't breathe.

" **Loser!"**

" **Freak!"**

" **Cripple!"**

 **Hopscotch!"**

She'd her all the names, all the taunts; they were engraved into her memory, burned into her skin. She stayed silent as each insult was etched into her brain until there was little untainted flesh left. She said nothing as one by one, every color in her mind blended together into a demented rainbow of black and gray. She stood by as the demons ransacked her mind, claiming it as their territory, their home; she was the outsider, the unwanted allowed herself the luxury of thought; drifting away to the world that existed solely in her mind- a world where she wasn't a freak, a world where Taylor Robinson had stayed home instead of getting behind the wheel and driving drunk, a world where she was _normal._

She was but a toy, a plaything to be used as _they_ saw fit. It made no difference if she protested; her voice would be just another cry lost in the crowd of savage cries, wild and frenzied as the beasts had their way with her. Jo was nothing more than a manifestation of man's deepest disgust. Each day she felt her demon's claws tearing into her flesh, marking any corner of her mind that hadn't already been tainted. She was theirs and theirs alone. They owned her. They controlled her. Attempting escape? Such an act of stupidity would result in the cruelest of punishments.

"Whoa! Whoa! Babe, calm down! Shih…Shh… breathe, relax…don't try to run; you'll hurt yourself…" August gently, easily crouched beside his panicking girlfriend.

Jo felt herself being pulled out of her inner world; thankfully, he'd stopped her before she'd dissolved into a full-blown panic attack. The walk from the floor to the couch seemed to take much longer than it actually had. She forced one foot in front of the other; one step at a time, no hurry, no rush. August quickly sat her down, easing her onto the couch cushions. Jo closed her eyes. She could feel the eyes on her; they were watching….they wanted to witness the freak show as she humiliated herself; they wanted to see firsthand the depth of her incompetence. With each step, it felt as though Quinn was walking to her own execution. She could feel the eyes already-they were following her every move, their hateful, unwavering gazes settled upon her shivering form. They were laughing at her…they were enjoying her discomfort. She felt them-they hovered above her, watching, waiting. Their voices blurred together into one demented Disney song-she was not one of them. She was not welcomed.

"Joker…? It's me, August…are you okay?"

"August…?"

"Yeah…it's me…and Kaiten. We came to see you guys. Are you okay?" his voice was soft and gentle, barely above a whisper.

And then she remembered the shorts.

"Maybe you should s-s-show her." Kaiten said from his place beside Jess.

"Yeah…I mean it was bound to happen sometime; I just wish it was under different circumstances. Jo waited for the rejection, the anger, but it never came. Instead, this boy, August moved to sit beside her and lightly, gently stroked her hair-light enough to comfort her, but not enough to put her to sleep. It was getting dark; the sky had turned an orange hue, shade as August's hair, and that knowledge made Jo smile for some reason she could not explain. August opened his jacket, and tugged it off one arm at a time. He hung it on a nearby coat hook. "Well…I think it's time you knew, Joker. There's…a reason I was put up for adoption." He reached for the bottom of his shirt, pulling the garment up and off of his body. August took a deep breath and turned around so Jo was facing his back.

Deep, jagged burn-like scars littered his pale flesh from the bottom of his neck to the waistband of his shorts. They were etched so deeply into his skin that Jo could probably fill each with water as if they were tiny rivers. But, even though the scars were shocking, horrific even, the thing that horrified Jo the most were the _words_ crooked, oversized letters ran from shoulder to mid back.

FAG

"You can touch if you want…it doesn't hurt anymore."

"August…what…who… _why_?"

"Well…my birth mother…she wasn't exactly happy to be a mother. I mean, my _father_ if you can call him that, was her teacher. He raped her when she was fifteen. She didn't have money to…get rid of me and nine months later I was born. With each day I was with her, she grew more bitter; she had every right to, I suppose." August sighed. His past was not something he enjoyed speaking about Years of counseling had helped, but the wounds left by his birth family were deep, deeper than any physical wound, deeper than any wound capable of mankind. It had taken years for him to come to grips with the fact that his mother…the woman that carried and birthed him…didn't love him…she never had. "I can't remember that much from before I came to live with Kaiten and family, but what I do remember I'm trying to forget. One day when I was three, she just…snapped."

"Wha…"

"She was a heavy smoker…I mean; she smoked more often than Jade drinks coffee…" August chuckled humorlessly. "She used to threaten to "iron out my bad behavior" and one day, she did. She called me into her room, held me down and put the iron to my back…held it there for at least a minute, maybe more. After that she- -after that…there was a knife that she kept with her at all times…"

"She…?"

"She cut off pieces of skin to form the letters, and then she burned it to make sure they really stood out."

"August …Red, I…" words escaped Jo. How could someone _do_ that to a person, their own child? She leaned in, pressing her lips to the scarred, defiled flesh. "Do you know what happened to her? Your birth mom I mean?"

"From what I heard, a neighbor reported her suspensions that something was going on with me. The police were called; they caught _mother_ in the act and just like that, she was in jail and I was in foster care. It only took a few months for Kaiten's family to take me home as a foster child. And within six months, they were signing adoption papers and I became an official member of the family."

"But…I- -how could she?" Jo stared blankly at the scars, their images taking permanent refugee in her mind.

"I ask myself that a lot…how could she…? Why would she…? Was it something I did…?" August turned to face Jo, and the horror of his mother's hatred only deepened for her. The front of his torso was _burned_ stretching shoulder to shoulder and down to waist on both sides. His arms were completely bare.

"You're…burned…"

"Yeah…mother did have a thing for fire, but she was smart about it…always got me where people wouldn't see."

By this time everyone, Jess and Kaiten included had begun to fear tears welling up in their eyes.

"I guess the three of us are like t-t-the three m-m-musketeers…even if there's f-f-four of us…" Kaiten finally spoke.

"What…?"

"Jo's l-l-leg, Auggie's torso, my face…and Jess is k-k-k-kind of normal, so she's the o-o-o-odd one out…I guess we c-c-can m-m-make work."

Jo released a watery laugh. "Jess…your boyfriend…is weird."

"Kaiten's weird? Remember the whole "zit juice" thing?"

"Did Kaiten tell you I came up with that?" August looked suitable annoyed.

"Yeah…?"

"Kaiten Zyle Jones…"

Did you j-j-just full name me?" Kaiten asked.

"Tell. Her. The. Truth."

"Okay! Okay…" Kaiten turned his gaze on Jess…" August didn't bring that up…he wasn't even home at the time."

"So…you lied to me?"

"Doesn't feel too good does it?" Jo said, her tone playful, because, well, she is Jo.

"Well…the thing is…I may have just been thinking about it, and it popped into m-m-my head…s-s-see what I d-d-did there…? P-p-popped…hehehehe, don't kill me!"

"Oh, relax…I'm not mad." Jess said.

"You're not?"

"No…grossed out? Yes. Very. But, I'm not mad." She turned to the other two occupants of the room. "So…now what do…we…?" and, in true Jogust fashion, August and Jo had begun to trade kisses in the middle of the living room…again.

"And now they're making out…"

Three…two…one…

Kaiten's lips found Jess' with ease and she wrapped him in her arms, his arms going around her waist. All was good, calm…peaceful. Until…

"WHAT THE HELL ARE BOYS DOING IN THE LIVING ROOM?! TORI! WHERE ARE MY SCISSORS?!"


End file.
